Tings to Help You at Festivals

Meet the soundtrack to your summer. Who says? Well, us at Student Direct. Along with the NME, Radio 1 and every other open minded music fan who can’t help but fall for their hybrid indie-dance-poparama sound that is equally at home in a sweaty club, on the Main Stage at a festival or roaring out of your car stereo. Meet The Ting Tings, a couple of musicians based in an artists’ commune in Salford who will be one of the biggest bands in the UK by the end of the August. They’re one giant pop pimple waiting to explode across the face of music.

With sets at Reading, Leeds, Glastonbury and T in the Park amongst others, Jim Waterson got in touch with singer Katie to provide us with The Ting Tings’ tips for festival success:

1. Make sure they know your name.

The duo’s debut single ‘That’s Not My Name’ dealt with Katie’s annoyance at others’ failure to recognise her. It’s a shame exactly that happened at their make or break Glastonbury performance. “It was so traumatising. We turned up having never been there before, having only played in our living room and the security just wouldn’t let us in. By seven o’clock they wouldn’t let us near the stage and the security claimed we had the wrong pass and the wrong vehicle. We tried to explain that we called ‘The Ting Tings’ but they didn’t know who we were so we missed our stage time. It was so hectic that we just ran onto the stage, plugged our kit in and played.”

2. Surrender yourself to living rough.

“I grew up on a farm but even I struggle at festivals. I just didn’t want to go to the toilet because the smell was so horrendous that every time I went I just wanted to puke. We were so late at one event that we put our tents up in the dark on a massive slope and woke up to find that we were next to a massive stage with bands soundchecking at 8am. If you’re going to a festival for the first time then you’ve got to just go with the flow. Always bring your wellies, avoid the toilets and give up all attempts to look glamorous – it just doesn’t work. If you get a bit of mud on you then don’t let it spoil your fun – the amount of people I watched falling over was very amusing.”

3. Look for the bands who have impressive stage shows.

“We’d love to put on a show. We like watching Stop Making Sense, the Talking Heads, where gigs are more of an art concept. Because there’s only two of us we’d like it to be really different and not just lights and smoke. We’d prefer to do something really weird and experimental if it’s still entertaining.”

4. Always plan your dream festival line up.

“I’d have Talking Heads headlining with ten Talking Heads tribute bands as support. Bjork would be on the bill, along with Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Radiohead. I’m from up near Wigan but I’d like to host it somewhere hot and sunny. Let’s have it all in Northern Italy!”

5. Don’t attack your future boss.

Despite the hype surrounding their sets at last year’s festivals, The Ting Tings had yet to sign to a label. That didn’t stop Katie doing her best to ruin everything. “We were just about to sign with Sony. I had a beater that I was using on a bass drum onstage and I’d got quite excited so I threw it out into the audience during our set. I didn’t realise that one of the bosses at Sony was standing in the audience and that during gigs he stands there and draws everything he sees, being all arty and stuff.

“Everybody else in the audience moved out of the way and this beater just hit him right in the forehead and a hundred people that worked for him were just rolling around laughing and pointing at him. I’d thrown it at him really hard. It wrecked his drawing as well because it just smudged everything. Don’t throw an instrument at the future head of your record company.”

6. Check the weather forecast.

“It’s all about having the sun out and a smile on your face – it’s something we never get in Manchester. It’s such a rare thing that when you do get it you can feel content to do nothing all day. Time off and nice weather is what you need for fun.”

7. Remember to return home.

Whatever happens at the festival, at some point you’ll have to return to the real world. “We’re based at Islington Mill in Salford but we never get to spend time there anymore. We’re always busy. So we like to involve the artists who are there. We’ve got some people from there who do our visuals and others who help out with our posters and artwork. Manchester’s really supportive as well; they tell you that you’re shit but they still like you.”